


De”BAE”ting Together

by Togetherfitzsimmons



Category: own work - Fandom
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-13 03:14:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20167222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Togetherfitzsimmons/pseuds/Togetherfitzsimmons





	De”BAE”ting Together

DE”BAE”TING TOGETHER

Chapter 1: The New Guy

Stupid, stupid school. Danny thought as he walked through the doors of Notre Dame university for boys. His father had made him switch schools to “remove distractions” and “make him a real man.” Danny figured that his father's logic was counterintuitive to some extent because what’s the most prevalent thing at all boys schools? Fagots. 

Matt looked into the mirror, hair slicked and shirt crisply tucked. He knew he looked good, but that wasn’t what mattered. He hadn’t seen Ben since they had broken up, just before summer and Matt wanted to remind him what he was missing out on. And besides, rumor had it that the debate team was getting a few new members. If Matt had learned anything from his parents, it was that first impressions matter.

This was going to be Ben’s year. Newly elected captain of the debate team and recently out of a relationship-Ben was on the prowl. All summer long he’d been hitting the gym and the books so he was more than prepared for this upcoming year. However, he did have one tamper on his year; Matt. His ex. His tall, attractive, perfectly symmetrical ex. 

Danny walked through the tall marble corridors, mindlessly searching for his first class. He was too good for maps and asking for directions was a girl thing. Disregarding the school’s policy, he matted his brown hair with an old baseball hat. It was the one sign of affection he’d gotten from his father.

Walking with equal carelessness, Matt almost slammed into a boy he didn’t recognize. With uncharacteristic clumsiness, he lost hold of his Calc textbook and watched it fall onto the new boy.  
“Bro, what the hell?”  
“I apologize, it wasn’t intentional. Also, I haven’t seen you before. Are you new or visiting?”  
“None of your damn business,” Danny shoved his textbook back at him and kept walking down the corridor. 

What was that kid thinking? Danny was pissed, face flushed slightly red. Whoever he was had just ruined what could’ve been an almost decent start to the day. His backpack weighed down, he still hadn’t found his locker but who was he going to ask? Maybe he’d find it on the way to Calc. Besides, he was in good shape, it’s not like he couldn’t handle a few pounds of binders. As he continued walking however he realized that room 1A was not in that corridor. Annoyed, he turned around to go back the way he came. 5A, 3A,  
Ah, 1A. He thought with mild relief as he entered the beige room. Yet at his first look at his new classmates, his stomach churned again and the annoyance returned. The Faggot from the hallway. Just great. 

“You’re Daniel I presume?”  
An old bitter looking woman asks, her tone cold and stiff.  
“No shit.”  
The teacher looked back at him, clearly taken aback.  
“Mr. Gallagher! I don’t know what was tolerated at your old school but let me make it very clear, language like that won’t be tolerated here. Did you even bother reading the student handbook?”  
Danny just glared.  
“Clearly not. You need to fix that,” she said, looking around.  
“Mr. Dame,” she shouted to a familiar looking boy in the back of the room “go over the rules with Mr. Gallagher and while you’re at it teach him some respect,”  
With that she pointed towards the door and Fagot or ‘Mr. Dame’ Danny presumed, stood and walked over to him, giving him a subtle nod in acknowledgement.  
Danny rolled his eyes at the boy, muttering a “thanks fag” as ‘Mr Dame’ opened the door.  
“What a gentleman you are,” Danny says sarcastically.  
“You don’t have to be rude about it,” Matt replies calmly with a slight smile.  
“And you don’t have to be a condescending fag. But here we are,”  
Matt laughs and Danny faces him, clearly offended by the gesture.  
“What?” He spats out as the door comes to a close.  
“You have a lot of pent up issues and I feel bad for you,” Matt shrugs nonchalantly and begins leading the way.  
Danny, although somewhat stunned, follows closely behind.  
“You don’t know anything,”  
“Okay,” Matt gives Danny a smile. After all, how could he be offended by someone who barely knew him and clearly had a worse off life than his?  
Danny bit his lip and looked down, trying to refrain from letting his cheeks grow pink in frustration.  
“Where are we going?” He finally asks.  
“Somewhere you can maybe calm down and loosen up,”  
Matt says simply with the same smile. He did that a lot and Danny found it outrageous.  
Soon after going up and down what felt like hundreds of stairs, Matt pushed open two doors.  
“Lady’s first,” he mumbled teasingly.  
“Piss off” Danny said yet still walked through. Yet as he saw the room they’d walked into, his anger faded relatively quickly. “A basketball court?”  
“You seem like you need to blow off some steam,” Matt says, picking up a basketball on the sidelines of the court. He tosses it to Danny who catches it with ease. “Let’s go.”  
Danny dribbles the ball back and forth, slowly increasing speed. Did he intend to pass it to Matt? Of course not. Matt thought he knew what he was talking about but there was no way that a stupid fag could ever understand him. Who did he think he was? White Gay Oprah?  
“Over here,” Matt calls, his hands positioned to catch the ball from across the court.  
“In your dreams.” Danny mutters, just audible enough for Matt to hear.  
“Oh so you want me to take it from you?” Matt smiles, tilting his head slightly as if to say, ‘okay, why not,’  
Danny dribbles faster, moving the basketball swiftly in between his legs, trying to make it more difficult for dumb tall Matt.  
However, pretty soon Matt is behind him, trying to swipe away the ball.  
“You’re good.” He comments.  
“I know.” Danny says, keeping his eyes on the floor. He turns his focus to only the sound of the ball hitting the court. The steady rhythmic sound relaxed him and soon the actual motions involved in dribbling became an afterthought. However, the bliss did not last as Danny suddenly felt the ball disappear.  
“You gotta keep your head in the game,” Matt joked.  
“Is that a fucking high school musical reference?” Danny retorts.  
“Did you just get my fucking high school musical reference?” Matt says, mouth edged into the outline of a smirk.  
Danny grew red. Matt couldn’t tell if he was blushing or just frustrated, but as he considered it he felt Danny’s warm hands pulling the ball away.  
“Ok bro if you wanna play I’ll play.” Matt fumbled for the ball but Danny was already starting to sprint across the court.  
Danny threw the ball in the air and it went straight through the net without once touching the rim.  
“Oh nice, did you learn that move from Zac Efron’s game?” Matt teased, enjoying this now.  
“No, I learned it from Corbin Bleu’s character,” Danny said, instantly regretting his response.  
“So not only do you know the songs but you also know the actors name who played Chad?” Matt asks for clarification of course, a smirk growing on his face.  
“My little sister watches it all the time, okay?”  
“If you insist. But don’t worry bro, I’ll keep your secret, it’s cool. Danny Gallagher. Closeted high school musical fan.”  
Danny sputtered and stormed out, leaving Matt wondering what had pissed him off so much.

Still slightly sweaty, Danny raced to find his next class and with equal ferocity prayed the fag wouldn’t be there. If there was one good thing about this shithole, it was that they had a debate class. Danny had always loved asserting his intellectual dominance and there was no better way to do it than public forum.

Matt lifted his shirt, wiping the sweat off his forehead with the corner of it before going after Danny. This guy didn’t even know his way around the school and honestly, there was no way of figuring it out for himself. There were stairs at every corner, classrooms that require you go up stairs only to walk five more feet to go down more stairs, and the electricity was frequently wiped out during a storm so the majority of the hallways were dark.  
Luckily, it wasn’t too hard to find him. The sound of his heavy footsteps led Matt straight back to calculus class.  
Danny was scooping his backpack off the floor where he’d left it was was studying the already crumbled paper that Matt assumed was his schedule.  
“Which class do you have next?”  
“Oh so are we still doing this? Why do you care?”  
“I mean if you wanna wander aimlessly around go for it, or maybe you could get over yourself for, I dunno two seconds, and ask for help.”  
“Fine! I have debate, okay?”  
“I wouldn’t have pegged you as a nerd?”  
“That’s your mistake then. Besides I can still kick your ass in basketball.”  
“That’s yet to be proven, but come on, I’ll walk you to your next class. I’ve heard the debate captain is kinda hot if that’s your thing.” Matt said, laughing at the fact that even three months later, he couldn’t stop mentioning Ben in conversation.  
“I’m not the fag here.”

Danny trailed behind Matt. It was demeaning, having to follow him, but it’s not like he had options. For a private school, it was surprisingly run down. The halls were contrasted by boys in pastel vineyard vines, hair slicked into perfected quiffs. It was disgusting.

“Woah, hold up,” Matt pulled Danny into a room, “wouldn’t want you to get lost again.”

The room was far too big for the small group of students bunched at the front. The groups were typical, Danny thought. You have a few Asian boys who probably didn’t talk outside of class. A few predictable fags. Danny always wondered how they gays managed to get speaker points. Their voices annoyed him. It was probably affirmative action.

“Alright, everyone be quiet and settle down.” A voice said, a voice Matt knew all too well. 

With quiet confidence an older boy strode to the front of the room. In what may have been a divine miracle, he was able to pull off a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt. He was short, but he carried himself like he was tall. 

Matt’s mind was flooded with flashes of memories. Their first kiss, after sneaking away from prepping blocks. Their first time together, in Matt’s bedroom, American Eagle plaid boxers on the floor and curling up into each other after. 

Matt shook his head, trying to rid himself from those torturous memories. This however didn’t last for Ben made eye contact with him, holding his gaze for a moment. 

“Dame, find a seat. The first tournament is coming up in only a week and we have no time for messing around,” 

Matt, somewhat hurt by being referred to so coldly by his past lover, sat down in a seat by the window. However, he couldn’t help but notice the small smirk on Ben’s lips as he said, “we have no time for messing around”

“That was harsh,” Danny said under his breath. “What’s the story there.”  
“Oh so now you wanna talk?”  
“Only making conversation.”  
“Let’s just sit down”

Danny and Matt found two seats towards the corner of the room, neither looked happy.

“Is everybody ready now?” Ben asked, staring directly at Matt.

“I’m always ready,” Matt retorted, but he couldn’t tell if his ex had heard him. It didn’t matter either way. Ben had moved on. He hadn’t. The facts were simple and empirically proven.

“Alright then let’s talk game plan,” Ben began “last year we lost out on district champs, which we all know we should’ve won. So we’re going to try something new, lots of new things actually. But today we’re going to start with partnerships. I’m going to run a few one v one drills just to see your skills, or lack thereof.”

“You still don’t want to tell me what happened there?” Danny asked.  
“What do you think?”  
“I think I’m gonna kick your ass in basketball and our practice rounds,” Danny said, pointing towards the board, where they were conveniently paired together.

Matt was certain Ben was fucking with him. He’d always been a fan of power plays and apparently that had only been exaggerated over the summer. But then again, there were worse people to go against the arrogant but quietly mysterious new boy.

“Ok Danny, let’s do this.”

Matt pulled his laptop out, G2 in hand and got ready to put him in his place.

Danny was equally confident. He had practiced spreading drills for hours last night. He was ready. He was always ready. But even if in the low chance the faggot was better than him. He had a plan.

“Let’s pull up files from last on… I don’t know…abortion?” Ben said.

Danny had always struggled with this topic. What kind of idiot could think women had ownership over their own bodies. Arguing aff was hard for him, but he was still good. Probably too good.

“Alright let’s flip for sides.”

Shit he was aff.

It didn’t matter. Like he said, he had a plan. He pulled out a bottle of sticky, sticky lemonade.

“Is everybody read-“ Matt started to say before realizing there was no judge. “Let’s just do this I guess.”

His case was good. Matt knew that. Danny knew that and as he started his own constructive Danny almost felt nervous. But with at least pretend confidence, he launched into his speech.

“Let’s start with rape. Why does this even matter…”

Matt looked back, almost in shock, but as Danny went on, he found himself listening. Even if he was, at the very least extremely misguided, Danny could talk.

“Are you ready for cross?” Matt asked. 

Finally I can start my plan, Danny thought.

Step 1: pretend you’re not ready, just to psych them out.

They were quick. Back and forth. Back and forth. It was rapid fire really. Question. Answer. Question. Answer.

“Group in the back! Stop yelling!” Ben scolded. 

Matt hesitated. Was he really pretending to not even know his name now? He didn’t have time to process it but that cut him.

“Cross is over anyways, do you need time for rebuttal?”

“Nope, I’m ready,” Matt said, miraculously still calm.

What a loser. He doesn’t even spread, Danny thought. But even if the faggot had no chance, Danny still had to move onto

Step 2: fuck with the flow

Danny accidentally spilled the sweet yellow drink all over Matt’s flow. 

“Oh my god. I am so sorry.” Danny said, deliberately sardonic. 

“That’s bull and we both know it but I don’t need a flow.”

Shit

Matt began exactly where he left off, not missing a beat.

This took Danny by surprise but he kept a straight face. He would never show any weakness. His father taught him that lesson, painfully. 

The day was ingrained in Danny’s mind so clearly that he could’ve recalled it like it were yesterday. He was debating at his first tournament in the sixth grade. He was doing LD, a one person moral debate. His father had warned him against LD. “Morality is a ridiculous thing to use in any sense” he remembers him saying. But Danny didn’t listen and debated in the category anyways.The topic had to do with whether the US should make reporters disclose their confidential sources. He was so scared that day. Other kids parents were supporting them, watching their children’s rounds and giving them smiles and thumbs up. Meanwhile Danny was trapped up there alone and psyched out. All of the other debaters were older than him and he couldn’t ever comprehend the words they were saying. He lost all three rounds. He cried. No one on his team had done that bad. When he told his dad, tears running down his face, his dad lifted a hand. “Be a man” his dad said. “You need to stop being so weak!” He added in a harsh tone as he undid his belt. Slowly he watched as his Dad wrapped the brown leather around his fist. 

Danny woke up on the kitchen floor the next morning, eyes black and blue. His dad said he had the flu that week. Danny told no one. 

He wouldn’t show weakness, not anymore. 

“Danny, Danny, you good?” Matt’s voice echoed.

Shit he hesitated. Shit. Shit. Shit.

“Hey, it’s ok. I was basically done anyway, it doesn’t matter.  
“What doesn’t matter?” Danny asked, defensive.  
“Nothing, okay? I’m off my game. You’re off yours. Let’s just call it okay?”  
“Or maybe, I dunno, you could get your head in the game?”  
“Touche.”  
“I guess if you insist we can call it, but that’s on you.”  
“Yeah, it’s on me.”

For the first time all day, both of them were quiet, almost peaceful. At least until Ben walked over with a fight to pick.

“Oh so this is your new partner now? I always knew I was out of your league, but not that far.”

Matt hesitated and Danny looked strangely hurt.

“H-he’s not my partner.”  
“Oh then who is?”

Matt looked frantically around then back at Danny,

“Wait, aren’t you the one who paired us together for this exercise?” Danny asks matter a factly. He wasn’t sticking up for the fag but he wouldn’t tolerate false accusations. 

“Well I guess you can stay together for the rest of the season then,” Ben said, still faking nonchalance before he walked away.

Matt turned to Danny “well here’s to hoping you’re good.”  
——————————————————————————————————————

Chapter 2: Almost Friends

Danny’s phone vibrated and he quickly flipped through his notifications. 

Three new messages from Matt

He wished he hadn’t given him his number, but it’s not like he had a choice. He wanted to win the tournament and although he hated to admit it, partner communication and chemistry was a large factor in winning.

Matt: Hey, so I have an idea about a new contention  
Matt: Want to meet up for coffee tonight?  
Matt: I’m at water polo practice right now but maybe around 8:30. Coffee House?  
Danny sighed. Of course Matt had to be a water polo player. He had to be smart, decent in more than one sport, nice, and ...no, no, he couldn’t think that.  
Danny: Sure. Meet you there.  
Matt: Don’t worry about it, I’ll pick you up.  
Danny: No thanks fag.  
Matt: What are you going to do then? Busses stopped making rounds at 5. I know you can’t drive. What’s your address?  
Danny: 1) Creepy. 2) Don’t watch me. 3) 1913 Gilmore Ave.  
Matt: Never concede to anything your opponent says.  
Danny: But you’re my partner.  
Matt: Oh, am I now? ;) 

Danny scoffed aloud and tossed his phone onto his plaid comforter. He missed his old school, the looseness of it all. He missed the parties and messing around with girls, trying desperately to feel something. But mainly, he missed his friends, or at least the people he could talk to. Notre Dame was looking bleak. Really his only interaction had been with Matt and that wasn’t good. The worse thing however was that he was now using the fag’s name.

He shook his messy hair in frustration and started to get ready. It would be nice not to have to wear a uniform.

Matt on the other hand was lost in the white glow of his laptop. He had always loved burying himself in research, especially for debate. It was the easiest way to take his mind off its favorite topic: Ben. It was always Ben. Matt was almost glad that Danny was such an asshole, it gave him somewhere also to direct his anger at least. He slipped out of bed and into a sweatshirt. He needed coffee and to go over his new contention idea. Maybe it would be nice to discuss debate with someone other than Ben.

Matt: Hey, heads up, I’m almost at your house.  
Danny: Ok stalker.  
Danny: Woah the All-American boy texting while driving, that’s a bit of a shocker.  
Matt: I was at a stop sign :)  
Danny: Still illegal  
Matt: You don’t seem the type to care  
Matt: Your house is the blue one, right?

Danny slammed the door and looked at Matt’s car. Typical, a sporty BMW. What else would you expect from the golden boy?

“You look angry,” Matt said, as if asking for an explanation.  
Danny hesitated and started almost angry before stopping himself.  
“No, I’m not.”  
“Let’s go then. What kind of music do you like?”  
“I dunno,”  
“You don’t know what kind of music you like?” Matt questions rhetorically and shrugs. “Fine the, guess you’ll have to tolerate mine”  
Matt then looks down at his phone for a moment before biting his lip and nodding at his own song choice.  
Jaymes Young’s I’ll Be Good  
Huh, Danny wouldn’t have expected Matt to choose this song. Well, actually he wouldn’t have imagined anyone choosing this song because it was never made mainstream or even played on the radio.  
Matt began driving and halfway into the song looked at Danny.  
“So what do you think?’  
“About?” Danny tries to refrain from sounding defensive.  
“The song?” Matt asks, making it sound like what he was referring to was obvious.  
“Oh, I wasn’t really listening.” Danny lies.  
“Want to pick the next one?” Matt asks without skipping a beat. He hands Danny his phone.  
Danny stays silent and scrolls through Matt’s music. He couldn’t really get a sense of what his favorite genre was because there were so many. On one hand, he had really girly love songs yet on the other he had rock music with a little bit of country mixed in.  
“Quite the mix you have,” Danny quips, breaking the silence.  
“Yeah, I guess you can say I’m not pegged to one type,” Matt says in reply. It seemed innocent enough but Danny wasn’t sure if his “type” comment was just about the music.  
He nods silently and presses the play button.  
Monster by Imagine Dragons.  
“Ok, ok, not bad for not knowing what you like.” Matt teases, entering the freeway.  
“Wait, where is this place?” Danny asks, furrowing his brows. With being from New Jersey, he didn’t know the area very well.  
“Pasadena. That’s where the coffee shop is. Don’t worry, it’s only a twenty minute drive.  
“Why drive a total of thirty-two minutes just for a coffee shop? I’d prefer to spend the least amount of time with you as possible.”  
Matt shot Danny a glare but decides a witty remark would be better than a harsh one.  
“You know, I was wondering why you weren’t being an ass to me but thanks for that. I was starting to worry about you.”  
Danny furrows his eyebrows and runs a hand through his curls.  
“Are you immune to being called a fag or just so idiotic that you can’t even tell when you’re being insulted?” He finally retorts.  
“Neither. I’m just wondering who hurt you so badly that you’ll be a complete dick to someone you’ve just met.” Matt says, his tone collected.  
Danny wanted to yell at Matt, screw him for jumping to conclusions and being convinced he knew everything, but screaming would only prove his point. Danny wasn’t hurt, he wasn’t damaged, and he wasn’t going to let anyone believe that.  
“You were telling me you had a new idea for a contention,” Danny said, keeping his voice perfectly level.  
“Yeah, I do. A good one. Most of the research is on my laptop so I’ll show you when we sit down.”  
“As soon as we sit down. None of that small talk bullshit. I wanna get it over with.”  
“Yeah you’ve made that clear,” Matt said almost sad.  
The rest of the drive was silent and the remaining twenty minutes couldn’t have gone by any slower. The air felt heavy and so did Matt’s heart. When he was with Ben, they were pretty much together twenty-four seven. Neither really spent much time with anyone aside from each other and that made it harder for Matt to make friends this year. Don’t get it wrong though, Matt was chill with everyone. He didn’t have enemies but he also didn’t have friends.  
“Is this it?” Danny asked.  
Matt simply nodded, not feeling like going into too much explanation.  
They walked in, steps in sync. Danny wanted to be out of the dumb store and Matt just wanted someone to maybe fill Ben’s space.  
“Yeah I’ll take a large cotton candy Frappuccino with soy milk and zero calorie sweetener,” Danny said as Matt tried to hide a laugh.  
“What?” He asked.  
“Nothing. Could I just get a small decaf?” Matt asked the barista.  
Coffee in hand, they found a small table in the back, hidden from view. Matt slid out his laptop and opened Verbatim.  
“So I was thinking instead of running a generic econ based aff what if we focused on multilateral negotiations as leverage for human rights violations.”  
“You might actually be onto something there,” Danny said, excited. “Because that would counter a lot of the neg contentions immediately. But is there actual evidence?”  
“Not that I know of, it would have to just be logical analysis.”  
“Huh, that might still work. Also what speaker position are you?” Danny asked.  
“Second all the way.”  
Shit. The faggot couldn’t seriously think he was going to take Danny’s position. Everyone knew that the second speaker was the smarter one. Only retards spoke first.  
“Well I’m going to be second this season I think,” Danny said, barely concealing his frustration.  
“Why don’t we switch?”  
“No I don’t think so. It’s important to have a second speaker who’s ya know, good.”  
“Sorry, what? Look if you have that much of a problem I’ll be first.”  
“I don’t have a problem!”  
How could dumb fucking Matt always make it seem like it was his fault? It wasn’t! Danny was a good second speaker and he wasn’t going to let some whiny gay kid take it away from him.  
“Oh yeah, because you’re the epitome of calm right now,” Matt almost yelled.  
“Yeah! I am!”  
“Look let’s just get back to the case. We can figure it out later or get someone to look at it more objectively.”  
“Perfect. Let’s ask, what’s his name again? Oh! Ben. I’m sure he’ll be able to help us decide,” Danny said and waiting for Matt to finally get mad. Instead however, he just looked sad and Danny felt almost guilty as he watched him slump into his seat.  
“Nevermind you’re right, we’ll figure it out another time. Let’s just get our aff case over with.”  
“Was that an apology?” Matt asked.  
“What would I be apologizing for?” Danny retorted. He felt bad, but not that bad.  
This time Matt didn’t respond and they quickly fell into silence, each skimming through articles on their own laptop, totally absorbed. Danny looked up every so often, taking in the boy across from him, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration, he was so quiet he looked peaceful.  
Matt caught Danny looking at him a few times but chose not to comment on it. After all, he wouldn’t want Danny to resort to being a complete ass again. He just knew that there had to be something more there. What “too cool for everything and everyone” kind of guy ordered a cotton candy frap?  
“So,”  
He finally spoke up, waiting for Danny to meet his gaze.  
“I was thinking of running human trafficking and wildlife trafficking. Impacts of human trafficking are-“  
“Irreversible and one hundred percent probable.” Danny finishes for him, nodding in agreement.  
“Yeah, and wildlife trafficking can lead to-“  
“Extinction and economic collapse. Also irreversible. Well, the extinction part at least.”  
“Can you stop stealing my moment?” Matt laughs, running a hand through his loose brown curls. Secretly though, he thought Danny’s childish excitement about his case ideas was adorable. The boy’s eyes lit up with a joy that mirrored a child’s on Christmas morning.  
“Hey, I can't help my quick thinking. It’s why I should be second speaker.” Danny smiled. Sure, the arrogance was still there but at least it wasn’t rude.  
“Yeah, okay. Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves here,” Matt teases, flickering his eyes from his laptop screen to Danny.  
“Hey, stop treating me like a kid.”  
Danny says, taking a sip of his frap.  
“Then stop expecting me to take you seriously while you’re drinking that.” Matt grins.  
Danny pushes his drink towards Matt.  
“You wouldn’t be saying that unless you haven’t tried it.”  
“So you’re sharing a drink with a fag?” Matt asks, surprise written all over his face.  
“Well If you’re going to be one you might as well have good taste”  
Danny says so nonchalantly that Matt isn’t sure if he’s being insulted or not. So, he keeps his cool and takes a sip of the sweet drink. Matt’s never been one to like sweets but because Danny offered, he decided why not. Unsurprisingly, he hated it. How could anyone drink that?  
“Ee, that’s really sweet.” Matt comments with gritted teeth and wide eyes, animating his facial expressions so he didn’t come across as a complete douche about it. He wouldn’t stoop to Danny’s level.  
“Oh come on, it’s literally unsweetened and with soy milk. This is not sweet.” Danny takes the drink back, rolling his eyes.  
“Umm, it’s cotton candy flavored. How is no sugar even possible?” Matt questions, eyebrows raised.  
“Don’t doubt the facts. I said no sugar when I ordered it. There’s no sugar.”  
“Do you have a card for that?” Matt asks, mockingly.  
Danny flips his laptop back open and pulls up the website for the store. “I’m pretty sure they’ll have the nutrition shit listed here, but hey let’s make it fun. If I’m right, tomorrow in class you go flirt with your boyfriend and leave me alone.”  
“I have no idea who you’re talking about,” Matt said, faking ignorance.  
“Really huh? What’s his name again? Oh! Right. Ben.”  
“Fine, what do I get if I win?”  
“What do you want?”  
“Come over to my place every day after school this week. I want to get prep done and figure out strategy and it’s so much easier in person.”  
Of course his wish would be something boring and practical and completely unfair. Danny thought to himself, but he still knew he was going to win.  
“Fine.” Danny agreed as he pulled up the exact drink he ordered.  
“So,” He begins, eyes scanning the page. “Originally the drink had fifty-four grams of sugar and now that it’s sugar free there should be zero.”  
Matt turns the laptop towards himself much to Danny’s dismay.  
“But you’re neglecting to account for the sugars in the whipped cream and the sugars in the strawberry flavored soy milk,”  
Matt says with a confident smirk.  
“Thus, I win this debate.”  
Danny tried not to sputter.  
“You’re lying.” He says plainly. There’s no way he could lose to a fag or lose in general for that matter.  
“Look for yourself.” Matt slides the laptop back to him, still grinning.  
Danny looks over the screen where Matt had zoomed in on the milk options and he feels his jaw drop slightly.  
“No.”  
“Yes.”  
“No.”  
“See you everyday after school, partner,” Matt says triumphantly, holding out his hand for Danny to shake.  
Danny, although upset with being proven wrong, reluctantly shook Matt’s hand. Jeez he hated that smug but dopily happy look on Matt’s face. 

Chapter 3: Different Worlds 

On the way back from the coffee shop, Danny rested his head against the window. For some reason he was more exhausted than usual and chalked it up to being a combination of the new school environment and Matt’s constant want for conversation. 

As Matt drove, he tapped his ring finger against the steering wheel while the song Wicked Game played softly in the background. 

I never dreamed that I’d meet someone like you  
And I never dreamed that I’d lose  
Somebody like you 

Matt knew Danny was tired so he refrained from talking. However, he soon began to think that maybe the reason he’d been talking more than usual was because he was scared to be left alone with his own thoughts; the thoughts of Ben. He tried not to miss him and tell himself that he’d find someone better but these affirmations never stuck. As soon as he was left alone, memories of him and Ben crept right back in. 

He missed Ben, obviously he missed Ben, but it was more than just mourning for the lost romance. He missed his best friend and debate partner and running arguments and having someone to text when he saw something funny. In retrospect, he felt bad for inviting Danny for coffee. It wasn’t intentional, but part of him had been trying to get the new boy to fill at least some of the emptiness. The worst thing however wasn’t the guilt, it was that Danny had been successful in distracting him. For the few hours researching, Matt had lost himself in banter and even if it wasn’t all playful, it was something. 

He pulled into Danny’s driveway and glanced over. 

“Hey, Danny,” Matt says, touching the boy's arm lightly. “Wake up, you’re here.”  
Danny didn’t stir and remained asleep.  
Poor thing, Matt thought.  
“Danny,” He tries again, giving Danny a small shake.  
“Hey, hey, get your gay hands off me.”  
Danny mumbles, still facing the window.  
“Then wake up, you’re home.” Matt says gently, ignoring Danny’s comment.  
Danny sighs and sits up to face Matt.  
“Thanks for driving.” Danny says.  
Matt can tell that Danny was trying really hard to not sound like an ass and appreciated the effort.  
“No problem. See you tomorrow? I mean, see you after school again?”  
“Why would I do that?” Danny asks.  
“Because you lost the bet.” Matt replies matter a factly.  
“You got lucky.” Danny smirks, opening the car door.  
“And I’ll get lucky again, just wait,” Matt says but Danny is already halfway up the driveway. Matt’s parents had always taught him to wait until the person had unlocked the door to leave, just in case. It was a hard habit to break and he drummed his fingers on the steering as he waited. He wondered  
-not finished

As Danny made his way up the driveway, dread filled him as he took notice of a light that was on in the living room. Not today. Why today? He thinks, silently praying someone had just accidentally left it on while on the way to bed.


End file.
